Dame Ann Gloag’s family have won a battle to build a new house on land near her castle despite opposition from neighbours.
The businesswoman’s land is to be used for a three bedroom home close to Kinfauns Castle, east of Perth.
Stagecoach founder Mrs Gloag, one of Scotland’s richest women, has been making plans to expand her property empire in the area in recent years.
In 2012, she was given the go-ahead for a six bedroom mansion and a three bedroom house on the grounds of her estate.
The latest application was submitted in the name of her grandson Antony but stated that the site was owned by Mrs Gloag.
The proposal attracted objections from people living nearby who claimed it would cause increased traffic and damage to an access road.
Perth and Kinross Council have now ruled that the plot of land which sits across the River Tay from Mrs Gloag’s castle can be built on.
In a written report, planning officers said: “The proposed house is a small scale modest detached dwelling.
“The site is relatively small and as such the modest scale of the house is considered to be appropriate.
“The house will be seen from the adjacent M90 motorway network but will be seen in context with the remainder of the building group.
“The scale and proportions of the house will ensure it sits comfortably within the grouping and on that basis it is considered to meet requirements.”
People living nearby had raised concerns about road safety.
In a letter to the council, one of the objectors Angus Mitchell said: “The access lane is currently in a deplorable state of disrepair and has for a considerable number of years been left to deteriorate.
“We voiced our concern on this matter in 2016 and to date nothing has been done to bring the lane up to an acceptable standard.
“Another house build will entail more heavy construction traffic using the lane thus exacerbating the situation.”
Another nearby resident Andrew Watt said: “The maintenance of the road would need to be taken into serious consideration as any increase in traffic would inevitably cause further deterioration of the road’s condition.
“My understanding is that any planning applications is this protected ‘greenbelt’ area of Perth are only to be considered if the location is a ‘brownfield’ site.”
The council said it had made the applicant aware of the concerns regarding the access road but could not enforce action as it is privately owned.
Although the house would be on greenbelt land, previous planning permissions in the same area meant the “principle of development” had been established at the site.
Mrs Gloag, 77, who has an estimated £875 million fortune with her brother Sir Brian Souter, won the right to restrict access to her property in 2007.
The case, the first of its kind, allows her to keep the public out of 10 acres of grounds.
In December, Mrs Gloag announced she was stepping down from the board of Stagecoach, the transport empire she founded with her brother. She now devotes much of her business acumen towards humanitarian causes.
In the 2004 New Year’s Honours list she was awarded an OBE for her charity work and in 2011 she became the first Scot to be honoured with a prestigious international award.
The former nurse received the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal, whose previous honourees include US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Queen Noor of Jordan.
